Registration FAQs

PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW BEFORE REQUESTING ASSISTANCE AS YOUR QUESTION MAY BE ANSWERED HERE.

As an entering first year student, your courses will be selected during orientation/pre-registration meeting in July, which will take place on campus and at the Chemistry Department. Placement in classes will be finalized during that time. The following are the considerations for placement into specific classes and for upper level students.

Subsequent registration is done centrally in PAWS, through a priority system that depends on your major and your class standing. The Chemistry Department staff cannot override these administrative restrictions, only the Chair or Dean has authority to do so, and only under limited, extenuating circumstances.

Q: I received a 4 on my AP chemistry exam. Do I still need to take CHE 201/202 General Chemistry I/II at TCNJ?
With an AP chemistry score of 4 you are eligible to obtain credit for General Chemistry I CHE 201. However, while a score of 4 indicates that you have a good foundation in general chemistry, we recommend that if you plan to major in chemistry, that you enroll in either CHE 201 or Honors General Chemistry I HON 201. This is strongly recommended if it has been more than a year since you were enrolled in an AP Chemistry course. If you do not plan to major in chemistry you may enroll directly into General Chemistry II CHE 202.

Q: I received a 5 on my AP chemistry exam. What chemistry course should I first take at TCNJ?
With an AP chemistry score of 5 you are eligible to obtain credit for both General Chemistry I and II CHE 201 and CHE 202. However, while a score of 5 indicates that you have an excellent foundation in general chemistry, we typically recommend that you enroll in either General Chemistry II CHE 202 or Honors General Chemistry II HON 202 the spring semester of your freshman year. For those students who have obtained high AP scores in additional science AP exams (e.g., physics, calculus A, and calculus B), we sometimes recommend taking CHE 310 (analytical chemistry) your freshman year. Only under extenuating circumstances (or if you are a transfer student) do we recommend that you take CHE 331 (organic chemistry I) as your first chemistry course at TCNJ. We have found that it is beneficial for all entering students to have a consistent General Chemistry laboratory experience; therefore, taking General Chemistry is advised. Taking General Chemistry allows students the additional benefit of getting to know the department, acclimating into the major and meeting their classmates and cohort for the major.

Q: What mathematics prerequisites do I need to register for CHE 201 or more advanced chemistry courses?
To enroll in General Chemistry I (CHE 201), you must satisfy one of the following:

1) You have a minimum SAT math score of 630 or a 28 ACT math score or higher.

2) You have taken an AP math exam and have scored indicating calculus readiness, as follows:

A score of 4 on the AP Calculus AB exam can place you out of Calculus A Math 127

A score of 3 on the AP Calculus BC exam can place you out of Calculus A Math 127

A score of 4 or 5 on the AP Calculus BC exam can place you out of Calculus A and B, MAT 127 and MAT 128

4) Pass (with a grade of C or higher) a Pre-calculus course at a college or university

If one of the criteria is not satisfied, then you will be required to complete MAT 096 Pre-calculus as a co-requisite with General Chemistry I (CHE 201). Please note that MAT 096 does not count toward graduation but is considered credit-bearing for financial aid, tuition and full-time status. Offered every semester as well as during our Summer Sessions. It can also be taken at a community college.

Please note that many of the upper level courses require a significant amount of mathematics background and students with higher mathematics proficiencies are better prepared for these courses. There is a strong correlation between success in these mathematics courses (achieving a grade greater than a C) and success in the chemistry major, as your grade in the course is a reflection of your mastery of the subject matter.

Q: I have to repeat a course. Do I need to repeat the laboratory?
If you passed the course (grade of D or better) and received an 80% in the laboratory, you do not need to repeat the laboratory part of the class. This grade will be transferred to your new instructor and used to calculate final grades in the repeated course. You must notify the Chemistry Department of your intention to use a prior laboratory grade before the beginning of the term (preferably when you register for the course). If you failed the course you may not use the previous laboratory grade and will need to retake the entire course.

Please note that you must receive a C- or better to advance in Chemistry critical content courses. This includes CHE 202 (a C- in CHE 201 is required), CHE 331 (a C- in CHE 202 is required), CHE 332 (a C- in CHE 331 is required), and CHE 310 (a C- in CHE 202 is required).

If you are a chemistry major, you must receive a C or better to advance in Chemistry critical content courses. We recommend that chemistry majors immediately repeat a course to achieve the minimum grade necessary in these courses.

Q: I am considering repeating a course to get a higher grade. What is the recommendation?
If you are a non-major and you have received a C- or better in a chemistry course, we do not generally recommend that you repeat a course to receive a higher grade. If you believe that retaking a course is best for your circumstances, we recommend that you consider retaking a course only if you have received a C or less in a course. If you have received less than a C- the first semester of a two-semester sequence course, you must retake the course before you enroll in the second semester course. You may want to have a discussion with your academic advisor regarding your plan of action. See above question for laboratory considerations.

Q: How many times can I retake a course?
You can enroll in the same course up to two times. Enrollment the second time your take a course requires not special approval; however beyond this number, you must complete a Repeat of Course Authorization Form and this request must be approved by your academic advisor, the chair of your department, and the chemistry chair. Please note, withdrawing from a course still counts as having enrolled in the course. Students who make a request to be enrolled in a course that they have previously taken will receive lower priority ranking than those students who meet all of the course prerequisites and are enrolling in the course for the first time.

Q: Does the department have grade prerequisites to enroll in chemistry courses?
Yes, the following prerequisites apply:

To enroll in:

A minimum grade of C- is required in:

CHE 202 General Chemistry II

CHE 201 General Chemistry I

CHE 310 Analytical Chemistry

CHE 202 General Chemistry II

CHE 331 Organic Chemistry I

CHE 202 General Chemistry II

CHE 332 Organic Chemistry II

CHE 331 Organic Chemistry I

Retention in the chemistry major is based on the performance standards in the following “critical content courses”:

Q: What should I do if there are no seats available in any section of a Chemistry course I need?
If all sections are full, you may complete the online wait list request on or after the date of your registration appointment.

Q: I’m having trouble enrolling using PAWS. What can I do?
Make sure that you are enrolling in a course for which you meet the prerequisites or whose seats have not been reserved for certain students who require this course for their major. If you continue to have problems, consult the troubleshooting guide (http://pawshelp.pages.tcnj.edu/troubleshooting/) or contact Records and Registration directly.

Q: Why am I getting an error when I try to enroll in a course?
There are several potential reasons for receiving an error message when enrolling in a course. If a course does not have open seats, it will indicate this by the error “closed class.” Class sizes with laboratories are strictly limited due to safety issues and cannot be increased. If you try to register outside of your registration time window or you have not met with your advisor prior to registration you will likely receive the message “appointment.” Certain classes, such as Independent Research CHE 493, require faculty permission and cannot be self-enrolled through PAWS without this obtaining this approval through the Chemistry Department and/or instructor. Finally, if you try to enroll in a course that overlaps with another course you have enrolled in, you will obtain a “time conflict” error. Please note that you must ensure that you have no overlap with any activity during your enrolled laboratory periods as attendance is required.

Q: Why are there so many reserved seats for a class?
When scheduling classes, the Chemistry Department consults with outside departments (primarily physics, biology, and several engineering departments) that require chemistry courses for their major. From these discussions, we reserve the necessary seats for students, placing reserves in sections that coordinate with course section offerings from these other departments. We are not able to override reserves that have been placed on our courses by other departments without their approval. Students who are majors in departments that have placed chemistry reserves must use those seats that have been identified in specific course sections.

Q: Why can’t you place me into a course with reserves?
The reserve system is the only way we can ensure that all students who need a class have a class seat. With the proper adjustments to your schedule, it is almost always possible to find the proper combination of courses sections that meet your needs. At the end of the registration period, we will remove class reserves, at which time you will be able to enroll yourself through PAWS.

Q: I’m in the pre-med track. Why can’t I get into a pre-med course?
The pre-med track is not a major. We provide limited seats for this academic standing.

Q: Why does PAWS show more seats in the lecture than the lab?
Courses that have a lab component require enrollment through the lab section. Seats available are represented in each lab section. If the lecture shows more seats available than the lab, the lecture number should be disregarded. Again, availability is represented in each lab.

Q: Why are there both double and single sections for a course? Is this an error in PAWS?
Some courses will run with both double and single sections. If you see this, it’s not an error.

Q: PAWS shows the instructor as “Staff”. Can you tell me who’s teaching this course?
As soon as we have identified the instructor for a course/section, we will update PAWS.

Q: How do I enroll in research?
The department has a formal process for this which will be discussed in the seminar classes. Please discuss with your advisor for further information.

If your question remains unanswered please send an email including your name and student ID number tochem@tcnj.edu.